


Progress

by LadybrokenTeacup



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Bathing, Caretaking, Comfort I guess?, Fluff, Healing, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 07:51:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13713249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadybrokenTeacup/pseuds/LadybrokenTeacup
Summary: Credence has come so far since the events in the movie.





	Progress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hachiseiko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hachiseiko/gifts).



“You did well today.”

Newt says it every day, sometimes multiple times. Credence should be used to it by now, it shouldn’t affect him anymore, yet it still does, every time.

He did well today.

He knows what to expect now, closing his eyes in anticipation. When Newt’s touch comes, he leans into it, a soft breath escaping his lips.

Newt pets him once, twice, a couple of times. In the beginning, Credence had counted the pets, trying to figure out the pattern behind the amount, trying to predict how many pets he deserved that day. Now he knows that he only needs to ask when he wants more. Newt made sure he understood that. He does ask, sometimes, after a bad day, but those have become rare.

Newt’s touch is light and gentle and Credence relaxes into it, pet by pet feeling the work of the day wash away from him until it’s just them. He gets lost in the sensation.

Suddenly the feeling is gone and Credence wants to open his eyes and ask what’s wrong. But then he feels Newt’s hands against both of his cheeks and a split second later Newt’s chapped lips are gingerly laid against his.

This is new.

Credence keeps his eyes closed. Unsure whether he’s allowed to or not, he starts to move his lips against Newt’s, going with the rhythm Newt sets.

The kiss starts as something slow and soft but quickly grows into something much more passionate that leaves them both panting into the other’s mouth when they part with a small, wet noise.

Locked in hard eye contact, Newt cards his fingers through Credence’s hair, the other man quietly loosening his own hands from Newt’s lapels he must have grabbed during the kiss.

Newt leans forward once more, licking into Credence’s mouth through willingly parted, plump lips, leaving Credence breathless once more. He could get used to this.

He can all but feel Newt’s lips against his ear when the other leans even closer and whispers “Ready?”. Credence can only nod.

~

The bathroom is warm and filled with steam when they enter. Credence looks around the room and smiles, a little proud. When Newt first had shown him this, it had been an utter mess. Mainly because the bathtub had also functioned as a trough for the beasts.

It had taken Newt a bit of convincing until he finally agreed, that if they were to do this, they should probably use a different room.

That’s when Credence had taken over, declaring it magical practice when he’d gotten every last single hair, feather or scale out of the room and gave it a complete makeover.

It doesn’t look pompous or anything, neither Newt nor Credence are people to appreciate useless extravagance. It became a small, neat room, that fits well into the rest of the case and Credence is proud of this.

He is halfway through opening the buttons of his shirt when he feels Newt stepping up behind him and letting his hands glide over Credence’s front.

“Here, let me..”, he whispers and continues what Credence began, revealing more and more pale skin with each button. Credence lets his arms sink to his sides and quietly leans against Newt, his eyes becoming hooded.

When Newt is done, he steps in front of Credence, pushing the shirt from his shoulders. Credence silently watches when Newt lifts a hand and places it on his chest, directly over his heart.

He observes Newt closely as the other just takes in the sight in front of him. He knows what Newt sees. They’ve been through this, multiple times. Newt had sat him in front of a mirror, making him watch while Newt touched every part of his body, leaving comments like “beautiful” and “my handsome boy” that stuck.

At first, Credence had wanted to hide, thinking himself undeserving of such compliments, and Newt had let him. But he’d always insisted on a next time and a time after that until Credence had slowly come to accept the compliments and… to love his body.

Newt seems to be satisfied with the view, because he pulls Credence closer by his pants, opening the fly.

Credence doesn’t wear belts anymore, not really. Not because he wouldn’t be okay with it, but rather because it seems that _Newt_ isn’t okay with it. He hides it well, but Credence knows what to look for between all the tailored pants Newt gifts him at regular intervals. It’s the tiny moments when they are out shopping and pass a shop selling belts, the way Newt avoids looking at them and how his eyes get a small red rim. How he touches Credence, carefully, seemingly absentmindedly, and how he gets even more determined to spoil Credence. (Not that Credence is complaining.)

Sometimes Credence wishes to tell Newt that it is fine, that he is okay, that he knows he is safe with Newt and that he had never deserved Mary Lou’s punishments. But so far the topic hadn’t really come up and Credence is somewhat hesitant to talk about the past. He prefers living in the here and now.

“And what are _you_ thinking about?”, he hears Newt say and looks down on the man kneeling at his feet, ready to help him out of his shoes and pants. Credence smiles but shakes his head. Maybe some other time. For now, he lifts one foot and then the other, grabbing Newt’s shoulder for balance.

Newt slides down Credence’s pants and underwear in a smooth motion, revealing the last parts of pale skin. Credence can see a certain hunger in Newt’s eyes, one that he knows and welcomes all too well. That will have to wait until later, though. For now, Newt gestures to the filled tub and, with a slightly rougher voice than usual, says: “Please.”

Credence doesn’t hesitate as he steps into the tub, gingerly sitting down and then slowly stretching out in the water. It’s warm, maybe a bit too much so, but he likes it that way. A small relieved noise escapes his lips as he settles down.

Next to him, Newt pulls out a stool and sits down, leaning over the rim with a soft smile.

“Well, then, let’s get you clean, shall we?”

And with that, Newt grabs a sponge and dips it into the water, squeezing it a little. Credence lets out a soft noise when it meets his skin.

The warmth feels good and Credence leans back into the touch, letting his thoughts drift as Newt starts to clean him.

Newt smiles when he notices that his love closed his eyes. Carefully, he lifts Credence’s arm and runs the soapy sponge down the length of it. He loves this -- loves Credence, loves providing for him, taking care of him. But it’s not just that. It was, in the beginning, he supposes, but since then Credence has become so much _more_. Now they provide and care for _each other_. Newt couldn’t be happier.

Reaching the wrist, Newt dunks the sponge into the water again to clean the last bit of his lover’s limb. Upon reaching the delicate fingertips, he drops the sponge and lifts the hand to his mouth, placing gentle kisses on the knuckles.

That gets Credence out of his thoughts, turning his head towards Newt and smiling softly. He doesn’t speak much when they do this, words getting harder than usual. That doesn’t mean he stops communicating thought, as proven by his angled head, leaning forward for a kiss.

Newt places a peck on his nose and then, when Credence doesn’t move back, one to his forehead, eyes, cheeks, peppering his face with kisses until, at last, he reaches the mouth.

Credence sighs softly into the kiss, slumping a bit further into the warm water as he relaxes. The tiny splashing noise reminds them both of the task at hand.

Newt picks up the sponge again and walks around the tub to get better access to Credence’s other arm. Once he’s done with that, he shifts position yet again to sit directly behind Credence, where he starts to rub soapy circles into the back in front of him. First with the sponge, then changing to his bare hands, massaging Credence until every last muscle becomes loose under his ministrations.

Credence sighs again, not wanting to move or talk, but still wishing to show Newt his appreciation. A moment later he can feel Newt’s lips against his neck, and he pulls one corner of his mouth up in a lazy smile. Newt understands.

When the dark-haired wizard tips his head back, he can see Newt, upside down, giving a small nod himself. Credence closes his eyes again.

A moment later, warm water is running over his hair and he can’t help a small moan when Newt holds his cranium with both hands before he starts to card them through Credence’s hair. It’s a little longer than _before_ , not much, but enough. Newt had assured him that it’d be fine if he ever wanted to change it to something completely different, but if Credence is honest, he doesn’t necessarily want it to change. It had taken him some time to start “messing” with his wardrobe and transforming it into something he likes, that he hadn’t bothered with his hair at the time. And now it doesn’t so much remind him of Mary Lou whenever he looks into a mirror, but rather of himself. This is _his_ hairstyle and he owns it.

Fresh citrus smells fill the room as Newt starts to apply shampoo to Credence’s hair, and for a moment, Credence is trapped in his senses: Newt gently raking his fingernails against his scalp, the mixture of scents in the room, both from shampoo and their own individual scents, the warm water against his skin, making bubbly noises whenever he moves just a bit in the tub.

Way too soon Newt is rinsing again, moving on from Credence’s head to his legs, cleaning the last part of his body.

When he’s done, a moment passes, then Newt stands up from his kneeling position and offers a hand to Credence to help him get up. “Shall we move on?”

Credence regards the hand and considers the offer. Eventually, he takes the hand, standing up. Using Newt’s hand to support, he climbs out of the tub and waits until Newt is wrapping him in a towel, charmed with a heating spell. Stepping closer, Credence plants a kiss on his neck, then hooks his chin over Newt’s shoulder. “Let’s just stay for a bit.”

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! C: This fic has been brought to you by [Hachiseiko](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Hachiseiko), because it's her (waaaayyyy belated) birthday gift. Much love! <3
> 
> I'd like to thank both [Hachiseiko](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Hachiseiko) and [acemattmrdck](http://archiveofourown.org/users/acemattmrdck) for beta:ing. Any mistakes that remain are 100% my own and please DO point them out to me!
> 
> Comments are much appreciated, have a nice day! c:


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